The Lost Stars
by Tirsis
Summary: A REF patrol ship Folds out of the heat of battle and into the cold of Hoth. Can the last of the Jedi help these newcommers, and can a ship of Robotech defenders help change the face of the Rebelion. Robotech OCs. Pre-SW:ESB, Post-Rt:SC
1. The All Consuming Night

The Lost Stars

By Tirsis

Chapter 1

The All Consuming Night

Robotech is the property of Harmony Gold

Star Wars if the property of Lucasfilm Ltd.

I own neither, god I wish I did.

Terminology, Ship specs and Persona dramatis at end of chapter

**********

"_Mustang, Raven Six! Kitchen! Kitchen! 242 by positive 17!"_

The call of an incoming capitol ship missile strike from one of the fighters came over the bridge's squakbox, and instantly the crew leapt to action.

Captain John Preston bellowed out in his thick Welsh accent, "Roll hard port twenty degrees! Starboard lateral thrusters hard burn!"

ARMD-07 had been through hell after three Robotech wars. She had been torn down, refitted, rebuilt and even if she was the last of her kind still in service she was still one of the toughest ships in the Expeditionary Forces. Now as her bulk shifted in space to avoid the long range strike her crew was already plotting a counter attack.

The old ship had not earned the name 'Victory' without reason.

As the enemy missiles streaked through the space that the warhorse had just been in targeting lasers were already locking on to the pirate Zentradi cruiser.

Captain Preston glanced at the repeater displays in front of him and called out, "Missile battery one, salvo fire, reciprocal course. Helm, ahead flank, evasive at your discretion. Flight, have Talon squadron disengage air-to-air and start an Iron Hand run on the enemy ship. And find out why the Desrtroids still aren't on deck."

Lieutenant Pavil Vochenko answered quickly, "The main elevator's actuators failed, Sir. Lieutenant Bates can only bring up one unit at a time."

"Damnation," grumbled Preston as he ran one hand through salt and pepper hair.

"Defold! Second ship at 10 plus 50! Two theater scouts," came the call from CPO Emi Kanzaki. Her face was shrouded by the sensor screen hood and bathed in a pale glow as she ran dozens of calculations of vectors and velocities through her head. "Estimate ten minuets till they are in firing range."

The Captain didn't let his frustration show, but he did feel it. This was supposed to be a simple patrol in friendly space, and only a week in it had gone straight to hell. Haydonites were nowhere near this sector, and the Invid fleet was nowhere to be seen at all. Word from Moon Base ALUCE was that it was going to be a milk run.

Just their luck to stumble on this small renegade Zentradi fleet that was trying to sneak into Sol through the theoretical back door. A Cruiser, close to five hundred Battlepods, and now two of those gunship scouts.

The Victory was a good ship, and had fairly modern equipment, but two dozen mixed Alpha and Beta Veritech fighters and six forty year old Destroids were simply not enough to fight off the force they faced. Preston was even forced to put the ships four old Valkyrie series Veritechs into the air.

"We are not getting out of this easily," he said quietly to himself. Making a decision the Captain turned to face his XO and navigator. "Commander Hammond, spin up the FTL. Jump us to Rodenberry Station."

Rebecca Hammond nodded, "Aye, Sir. Beginning the plot. Helm, start the clock."

"Flight, recall all fighters, they have five minuets to get back here."

**********

"_Ravens, RTB on the double. Jump in four twenty"_

"Raven Lead copies, Mustang," Lieutenant Commander Frank 'Muck' Murray called in. He then switched to his squadron channel and spoke, his Boston accent barely noticeable, "All right kids. Mommy says it's time to come in out of the rain. Break loose and head back to the barn."

"_Thank goodness, the neighbors are getting rowdy out here."_

"Cut the chatter and burn like you got a purpose. Victory Jumps in four minutes." Muck snapped off one last burst from his GU-XX gunpod and then toggled the switch on the HOTAS that sent his Alpha twisting in on itself changing from humanoid Battleoid configuration to a pure fighter that lit its engines as he pushed the throttle to the stops and bolted back towards the Victory.

Looking down at one of his MFD screens he checked on the status of his squadron. Glad to see only a few splotches of red and yellow indicators on the group he sighed in relief. No losses today, and even if it was a retreat that made it a good day to him.

Looking at his scope, Muck saw that the 'pods hadn't given up and were in pursuit of his group. Clicking back on the comm., he ordered, "Beta fighters, we have bandits in pursuit. Shotgun. Shotgun. Shotgun."

The order was simple, and the four Beta fighters in his command wheeled about hard and opened their numerous missile bays. Sixty four missiles burned into space towards the enemy, and as the Battlepods began to evade it gave the Robotech fighters the time they needed to truly disengage from the fight and bolt for the carrier.

Muck was the last of the fighters to touch down, with only moments to spare before the jump but even as he caught the Victory's second arrestor wire he saw a glint in the corner of his eye."

Clicking on his comm, he almost yelled, "Mustang, Raven Lead! Kitchen, high off the bow!"

**********

"Confirmed incoming," Kanzaki called. "Impact in twenty seconds, Turrets are offline for Jump. Zero chance of intercept."

Hammond looked over at the Captain and added, "Jump in fifteen seconds. It's gonna be close, Skipper."

"Brace for impact," Preston ordered.

"Radiation alarm! Missile may be a nuke!"

The Captain clinched his teeth and listened as his XO gave the countdown. But something drew his eyes forward and he saw the black Alpha fighter with blue trim of Raven Lead shift into Battleiod prone on the deck, roll on to its back, and bring its gunpod up. The cannon started spitting hot tungsten into the black sky, and pilot and Captain both gave the same prayer that one of the 55mm shells would hit the incoming missile.

"Four…Three…Two…"

"Detonation!"

"JUMP!"

Space twisted, shifted colors, bubbled around the carrier and the spherical explosion of the missile less then five hundred meters away, wobbled, and knotted itself out of existence.

**********

Cold.

No, he took that back. It was beyond cold.

For a farm boy who had grown up on a desert planet Hoth had to be one of the worse places for Luke Skywalker to be. And keeping the hanger doors open to that cold was just making things worse for him.

_Push it aside, Luke,_ he thought to himself. _Ben probably would have shrugged this off and called it 'bracing' or something._

The young aspiring Jedi allowed himself one last shiver, and then dove back into his limited Force training to resist the low temperature as he helped out in the hanger bay of Echo Base. Picking up another small crate from the sled in front of him he turned to pass it off to the next man in line, his best friend and fellow Rebel, Han Solo.

"I can't feel my fingers," the former pirate grumbled as he took the box.

Luke smiled, "Could be worse you know. The outpost stations only have survival shelters and half charged fusion coils right now."

"Believe me, Kid, I'm glad I'm not them," Han retorted. "I just wish I could tell if I still had all ten fingers, that's all."

"_Captain Solo, Commander Skywalker, to the command center."_

"There's a change," Han smirked at the voice that came over the PA. "The Princess saving the roguish knight and his young squire."

As he and Han stepped out of the line Luke retorted, "I think you're mixing up who's the sidekick here, Han. As I recall you were the one to…" He stumbled, his eyes going wide as the color in the ice cave blurred from white to red, green and blue. His head spun, and for a moment he heard voices.

"_Anti-Gravity drives offline! Fold system down! No response from helm!"_

"_Emergency thrusters! Run helm through engineering if you have to, but get us into a stable entry vector!"_

"_Captain, no sign of Rodenberry Station…Where the hell are we?!"_

"_I don't know but we'll find out soon_ Luke? Luke, are you all right?"

Luke shook his head and looked up to see Han with a face full of concern.

"You spaced out for a minute there, Kid. You alright?"

Luke nodded slowly, "I felt…a disturbance in the Force. Something out of place…like a puzzle piece that doesn't fit…"

"Putting your mystical Jedi stuff aside for the moment, we should really get in there before her Highnessnesss throws a hissy over the intercom."

"Right, Han. Just keep your eyes open, ok?"

The smuggler nodded and the two entered the control center to an atmosphere of worry.

"Good, you two are here," Princess Leia Organa called as she waved them over to where she and General Rieekan were hovering behind a sensor operator. The screen before them showed a decaying orbital track that would end only a few dozen kilometers away from Echo Base itself.

The tired looking base commander glanced at the newcomers, "Solo, Skywalker. Take a look at this. Something seems to have dropped out of hyperspace almost on top of us, and now it's falling like a brick. I doubt that the Empire has found us so quickly but we need to be cautious. I want whatever is ready in the air to meet them if they are a threat."

Luke answered quickly, "The speeders are still being unpacked, and I may take days to get them running in this cold. Only half of Rogue Squadron is here right now. I can get four, maybe five X-Wings up."

"How about the Ion Cannon," Han added. "That could slow them down."

Leia grimaced, "We're still connecting the control systems."

"I guess I'll take one of the spare X-Wings up then," Han sighed. "The Falcon is still too beat up after that last party we had at Ord Mantell."

Luke gave a smirk of his own, "You sure, Han? An X-Wing is a little tricky to handle…"

"I was flying Headhunters when you were still in diapers, Kid. I think I can handle their offspring."

"Six fighters then," Luke said.

The General nodded and the two ran out of the command center. If it was an Imperial attack then seconds counted. Soon six red trimmed X-Wings were rocketing out of Echo Base's hanger and falling into formation.

"Han, you're Rogue Zero for this, copy."

"_Got it Kid…Rogue Leader."_

"All right, let's go see what we have." With that the six fighters lifted their noses and shot skywards. At his right Luke had Han and Wedge Antilles, and on his left he had Wes Janson, Derek 'Hobbie' Klivian and Dack Ralter. It was a good flight of pilots, and he knew they were some of the best in the galaxy.

"Han, you and Wes go high, get an angle and swoop in if we need it. Wedge, you and Hobbie swing south and come up from behind. Dack, you're my wingman."

He received a chorus of acknowledgments, and the fighters broke off into pairs, turning away to approach the incoming object from three angles. Flipping a toggle, Luke activated the servos that gave the X-Wing its name, and his wings split in two, giving him greater maneuverability and a wider range of fire.

"Artoo, we should be coming up on the target. Anything yet?"

The blue trimmed astromech droid snuggled into the socket behind the cockpit of the X-Wing whistled a short string of notes that translated to an affirmative and Luke activated his targeting scope to get a look at the computer generated outline of the unidentified object.

Blinking, he pulled his head away from the scope, looked out his canopy and gasped as the shape came through the clouds.

"What in the Force is that thing?"

**********

"Anti-Gravity control circuits are rebooting. Helm is sluggish, but responding."

Captain Preston sighed in relief, but only for a moment, "Get us leveled out and stable. As soon as we have settled I want a full damage report."

Commander Hammond added, "Flight, what is the status of our mecha?"

Vochenko responded quickly, "Talon three and seven lost. Raven five lost. One of the Gladiators got shook loose during the Fold. Raven Lead…holy cow, Raven Lead is still active and clinging on to the deck!"

"What," the Captain and XO yelled at the same time and moved forward to the rail in front of the bridge view port. At the end of the carrier's runway they saw a single black Alpha fighter in Battleoid mode gripping into the deck plaiting with its strong mechanical hands and attempting to pull itself back onto the relative safety of the ship. Getting one leg up, it managed to roll onto the deck and lay on its back, looking as tired as its pilot probably was.

"Raven Lead…Raven Lead, please respond." Vochenko looked up from his board and reported quickly, "I'm getting intermittent telemetry. I think that Lieutenant Murray may have gotten a shot of that radiation even through his shielding. Raven Lead, come in."

The bridge speaker suddenly came to life, _"Are we there yet, Mommy?"_

The Captain chuckled as he walked back to his chair and picked up the handset from the armrest, motioning for it to be connected to the fighter, "Damn, Muck, you sure know how to make an entrance. You had the XO and I white as ghosts when we saw you dangling off the deck like that."

The Alpha's head turned to face the bridge and Preston could here the smile in the pilot's voice, _"Bulletproof Becky, worried? I guess I did cut it a little too close there. Permission to go below and pass the hell out, Skipper."_

"Granted, but do your passing out in sickbay."

"_Aye, Skipper."_ The Mecha rolled onto its hands and knees and stood, walking to the functional secondary elevator and was slowly lowered below deck.

"I really hate that nickname," Hammond growled under her breath. Out loud she spoke, "Kanzaki, are sensors back up yet?"

"Finishing self-test mode now Ma'am," the tech answered as she leaned forward to gaze into the hood. "Altitude fifty thousand meters and dropping. Fall rate slowing."

"Helm confirms. I should have us steady and holding at forty thousand."

"Good," nodded the Captain as he settled down. "Any sign of our Zentradi friends?"

"I read six bogies, two at zero by three, two at one seven seven by five and two more at two six zero by fifty five."

The XO took up her station at the holographic chart board and asked, "Any transponders?"

"None on our channels, Ma'am. They don't appear to be Zentradi either." Kanzaki looked up and pinched the bridge of her nose. "Their silhouette doesn't match anything in the warbook, or civilian reference." She leaned back to her screen and added, "I'm tentatively tagging them as fighter class craft by size and thrust."

"And we're in no condition for an air to air battle right now," the Captain concluded. He thought for a moment and then ordered, "Ready point defense turrets, but hold fire. We are not where we were hoping to be, and I don't want to start a new fight without some information first. Give me an open channel, please."

"Channel open, Sir."

The Captain lifted his handset again and spoke clearly, "This is Captain John Preston, commanding the REF Victory to approaching fighters. Identify yourselves and break off your approach or we shall interpret your intentions as hostile and defend ourselves."

He waited a moment and was about to send out a second warning, but heard a voice respond over his handset, _"Victory, this is Rogue Leader. Please state your origin and intent."_

Preston considered his next words and answered carefully, "Our home port is the Sol system as part of the Robotech Expeditionary Force. We seem to have executed a mis-Fold during combat and are currently trying to reset our navigational system."

Again a wait and the young voice over the comm. Responded, _"You're currently in the Hoth system if that's any help."_

Hammond skimmed through the listings on her board and looked up at the Captain, shaking her head.

**********

"_I'm afraid that doesn't help at all. Our charts are not showing the name Hoth."_

Luke continued his orbit around the unusual ship as he considered this. It was a brick in the sky, long flat and bulky. It had what seemed to be a flight strip running down its length and several bulges that seemed to be weapons emplacements, but according to Artoo it had no shields at all.

Luke thought for a moment, letting his mind drift into the early meditation that Ben had shown him. It only took a second for him to decide to follow his instincts and he opened a channel again, "Captain, I'd like permission to come aboard so that we can figure this out face to face."

"_Kid, what the blazes are you thinking?!"_

Luke looked down to make sure that had come in over the squadron only channel and switched over to answer Han, "I have a feeling. Just trust me Han and keep the rest of the squadron orbiting this ship, just in case."

"_Oh no, Farmboy. I'm going with you. Someone needs to be there to make sure you don't get your thrusters shot out."_

Luke sighed, but with a smile, "Alright Han, you're on my wing. Wedge, take over, and keep your distance."

"_Copy that, Luke. May the Force be with you,"_ the veteran pilot answered as Luke and Han joined up.

"_Rogue Leader, this is Victory Flight Control. You have permission to land. Say mass and thrust capacity on your craft for landing."_

**********

The touchdown had been very smooth thanks to the Victory's guidance system and the strange fighter's hovering capabilities. The two odd craft had touched down with less then a meter of error on the secondary elevator and were slowly lowered into the bowels of the ship.

The Captain had called up two squads of Marines in CVR-3 armor just in case as he and Lieutenant Commander Paul "Eye-Full" Towers, the ships CAG, waited to greet their guests.

As the angled canopies on the craft opened the first thing they saw as the pilots pulled themselves out was the bright orange of baggy flight suits. But that was nothing surprising. Orange was high visibility, and probably good for a busy flight line.

What was surprising was when they pulled off their helmets and the shorted one extended his hand in greeting.

They were human.

"Commander Luke Skywalker of the Alliance to Restore the Republic," the young sandy blond said.

"Preston took his hand and responded, "Captain John Preston of the Robotech Expeditionary Force. Welcome aboard."

To be continued…

Endnotes: This one struck me out of the blue. An idea that started percolating when I was watching Macross Plus and reading an X-Wing: Rogue Squadron novel in the same week (great books, by the way). It got stuck in the back of my mind for a few years and didn't come out again until Robotech: Shadow Chronicles came out. I didn't want to get into the argument of whether or not Max and Wedge were on the same level, and I won't now, so it took me a while to really put this together. But now I bring you this catastrophe. Please tell me what you think. If you like it then it will continue. Until next time…The Force is strong in me…actually I just had the garage door opener, but I won't tell if you don't.

TECHNICAL NOTES:

Timeline: Post Shadow Chronicles, Pre Empire Strikes Back

A Note on Callsigns: You never get to pick your own, and they usually wind up being lightly insulting or a joke among those who gave it to you. To my knowledge the cooler a name sounds the less likely it is to be used. (i.e. Maverick, not a chance, Eggplant, very likely)

Terminology:

Battleoid- humanoid soldier configuration for a transformable mecha

Battlepod- primary Zentradi attack mecha, non-transformable headless ostrich armed with energy and projectile cannons

CPO- Chief Petty Officer, a Navy rank for a non-commissioned officer

CVR-3- a modular suit of body armor used by the REF, most notable for it's ability to link up with the Cyclone Veritech Motorcycle/Power Armor units

Desrtroid- a giant, roughly humanoid non-transformable combat mecha typically used in ground actions as walking tanks

FTL- Faster Then Light, a designation for a fold or hyperspace system

Haydonites- a cybernetic alien race that was at one time allied with the REF but are currently at war to wipe out humanity and all 'Protoculture Addicts'

HOTAS- Hands On Throttle And Stick, a control layout that places toggles for secondary systems on the primary flight controls of a fighter

Kitchen- A term used to designate a missile attack on a ship

Moon Base ALUCE- Headquarters for the REF Fleet in the Sol system

MFD- Multi Function Display

RDF- Robotech Defense Force

REF- Robotech Expeditionary Force

RTB- Return To Base

Veritech Alpha- primary transformable fighter for the REF armed with a gunpod and many missiles, able to link with Beta Fighter to form one superior combatant

Veritech Beta- primary transformable bomber for the REF armed with internal cannons and massive missile payloads and a modular bomb bay for cargo, bombs, passengers, or a Marine squad for boarding actions

Veritech Valkyrie- venerable first generation transformable fighter of the defunct RDF armed with gunpod, light lasers and externally stored missiles, larger and less maneuverable then the Alpha but with longer range and easier controls, used for training in the REF

XO- Executive Officer or second in command

Zentradi- a giant alien humanoid race of clones used as a slave army by the Robotech Masters, a portion of which have defected to Earth and reduced to human size

Ships:

ARMD-07 'Victory'- the only Armor Class carrier to survive all three Robotech Wars. Technologically outdated at the end of the first Robotech was it was pulled by Doctor Lang as a platform to test new equipment. After this it was also used to prototype armor and propulsion systems that would be used on the Garfish Class light carrier. After forty years of service it was waiting out its last few years in the REF Long Range Patrol Group. Two mecha bays have been removed, taking away the ships unmanned fighter complement replaced by a Fold Drive and hydroponics bay have been added along with additional cargo space.

Mass: 175,000 tons

Dimensions: 430m x 172m x 48m

Crew: 1700 including officers, flight crews, and two Marines platoons

Armaments: 5 Heavy Beam Cannons (4 forward, 1 aft), 2 Anti Warship Torpedo Tubes (forward), 6 Ten Tube Retractable Multi-purpose Missile Batteries (top), 48 Point Defense Laser Turrets (24 top, 24 bottom)

Mecha Complement: 28 Veritech fighters (16 Alpha, 8 Beta, 4 Valkyrie), 6 Desrtroids (2 Gladiator Close Range Combat units, 2 Excalibur Mid Range Combat units, 1 Raider X Anti-aircraft unit, 1 Spartan Missile Support unit, 48 Cyclone Veritech Motorcycle/Power Armor units), 2 Searcher AFV workpods, 1 Shuttlecraft

Persona dramatis: notes on the original characters in this story.

Captain John Preston, age 45, commander of the ARMD-07 'Victory'. Vocal opponent of Admiral Hunter's 'Scorched Earth' policy concerning the Invid. Father was a Whelsh fishing vessel captain. Graduated the Southern Cross Navy Academy but resigned his commission in protest of civil restrictions by the military government. Left Earth with the 15th Platoon ATAC and joined up with the REF.

Commander Rebecca Hammond, age 29, XO of the ARMD-07 'Victory'. Born in Macross City during Reconstruction. Led a small resistance force during the Invid occupation. Considers discipline to be necessary for survival above all else. Earned the unwelcome nickname 'Bulletproof Becky' after rejecting numerous romantic advances.

Lieutenant Commander Paul "Eye-Full" Towers, age 32. A lifetime Marine who commands the detachment aboard the 'Victory'. Gruff with his troops, but considers each one a member of his family.

Lieutenant Commander Frank "Muck" Murray, age 20. Commander of Raven Squadron aboard the 'Victory'. Born in space during the Sentinel Campaign he grew up around Veritech fighter craft. Brash but capable, and notorious for his sophomoric sense of humor. Was the one to give 'Bulletproof Becky' her hated nickname.

Lieutenant Paula Bates, age 26. Commander of the Destroid contingent on board the 'Victory'. A former artillery spotter who was promoted in the field during the Sentinel Campaign. Still unsure of her capabilities.

Lieutenant Pavil Vochenko, age 24. Bridge officer in charge of Flight Operations aboard the 'Victory'. Intellectual and well read, he is also a qualified shuttle pilot.

CPO Emi Kanzaki, age 19. Bridge officer in charge of sensors aboard the 'Victory'. A mathematical prodigy able to compute complex equations mentally. A warm personality that sometimes reversed into cold distance when frustrated. Has a small cybernetic implant that acts as a mathematical sub-processor to increase her natural abilities.


	2. Meeting the Neigbors

The Lost Stars

By Tirsis

Chapter 2

Meeting the Neighbors

Robotech is the property of Harmony Gold

Star Wars if the property of Lucasfilm Ltd.

I own neither, god I wish I did.

**********

Han and Luke sat in the small office used by the Captain of the Victory and slowly came to grips with the strange ship. Landing on what amounted to a flying airfield was only the smallest of shocks they received. Han wasn't even concerned about that after living on Nar Shaddaa.

The giant war droids that were aboard were something else however.

"You said that this was called the Hoth system, "Captain Preston said. "We have gone over our charts and have not found it. Is it a local name?"

"No," answered Luke. "It's on all the charts. It's just that no one really comes here, it's a little inhospitable."

Preston frowned at this, "Are you an expedition then?"

Han and Luke shared concerned looks and Han answered, "What do you know about the Empire?"

"You'd have to be more specific. The Zentradi Empire has fallen, but if we are deep enough into space to render our charts useless then I would guess that this is a new faction?"

Luke shook his head, "The First Galactic Empire formed at the end of the Clone Wars. It replaced the Republic as the ruling government for the entire galaxy."

Han continued, "They said it was for the good of the people, but the politicians in charge went power crazy. All sorts of laws were put on the books. Most of them said that anyone who wasn't human was a second class citizen. Taxes skyrocketed and the Grand Fleet of the Republic tripled in size to the Imperial Fleet."

"That's when the Alliance to Restore the Republic started," Luke finished. "But most people call it the Rebel Alliance."

The Victory's Captain leaned back in his chair and let out a long breath. He took a look at the pilots sitting in front of his desk and considered what he had just learned. The information he had just gotten confirmed his second in command's findings. Commander Hammond had done several passes with the telescopes and could not find any known reference points. They were well and truly lost.

What he had not expected was to stumble into a civil war that seemed to encompass this entire region of space. This was a first contact, but in the middle of someone else's war. Preston briefly wondered if this was how the Sentinel races had felt when the Robotech Masters and the Invid were going at it in their skies before the uprisings.

He looked up when the younger pilot, Luke Skywalker, spoke.

"I realize that you're facing a hard choice here, but consider this. The Empire won't help you. All they want is to impose their will, not help people. Once they find out that there may be more worlds out there ripe for conquest then you'd be facing the same problem as us."

Preston nodded,"Perhaps, but it is still a choice I must make carefully. If I accept your help then there is a chance that we will be pulled into your war with what may be a legitimate government. This is a grey area, and we must walk carefully, lest we fall into darkness."

"Very wise," Luke nodded and stood. "Han and I will stick around if that's all right. If you decide to take your leave then we can launch when ready. If you decide to stay then we can guide you into base."

The two pilots left, passing the ships female XO who was called in to the office.

Once the door closed again Han asked, "All right, what's going on? You pretty much offered them bantha steaks and Corellian brandy back there. Sure, recruiting a fighter carrier this size is a good thing, but you seemed to be ok with letting them go too."

"I know Han, but isn't that what we are all about? Letting people make choices. I'm just trying to be diplomatic here, kinda like Leia."

"Uh huh," Han said with a smirk, "impress the Princess? It isn't that easy."

Luke shrugged as one of the Victory crew came up to guide them back to the hanger bay.

**********

Rebecca sat back and contemplated what she had been told by the Captain.

"Another galaxy," she sighed and noted that Preston had taken off his jacket, a sign that this was informal and continued, "I don't know John. It's a lot to take in. But can we really afford to turn away help? We're hurt, more then we let them know."

"The easy thing to do would be to get our bearings and get out of here," the Captain said as he put his hands behind his head and tilted his chair back. "The thing is that if we can't pin down where we are in relation to where we were we can't get home." He looked to Hammond for confirmation here and at her nod continued, "And this Empire sounds like something Anatole Leonard would have approved of."

Rebecca winced at that. Supreme Commander Leonard was a sore spot to any soldier due to his political bullying, bigoted views, and idea that a higher body count meant a greater victory.

The Captain stood, pulling on his jacket and as he did Rebecca stood, formal again.

Preston moved to the door and said softly, "Talk to the officers, take their temperature. Find out what they think. The easy thing may not be the right thing."

"Aye, sir."

**********

Muck ran his hand along the underside of the alien fighters sitting in the hanger and smiled to the small robot watching him.

"Sweet little hot rod you have here Tin Can."

The robot whistled and chirped at him, almost sounding put out at the name, and the Robotech pilot chucked, "All right, all right. It's not like you're wearing a name tag you know."

"His name is R2-D2, but we call him Artoo," Luke said as he came around the wing glancing at the grey jump suited pilot.

Muck winced, "Not very original." He stuck out his hand and Luke took it as Han joined them, "Lieutenant Frank Murray, but everyone calls me Muck."

"Commander Luke Skywalker, and this is Captain Han Solo. Why Muck, if you don't mind me asking."

The young pilot smiled, "It's like a rite of passage with us. You fly with a wing long enough you get a call sign, kind of a nickname to use without breaching protocol. I got tagged with Muck during flight training when I screwed up and nose dived right into a swamp. Techs spent a week pulling weeds and mud from the engine. And Cadet Frank 'Muck' Murray spent that week cleaning the officer's head with a toothbrush."

The three of them laughed at that and Han said, "Sounds like some of the stuff I went through at the Corellian Academy. Maybe we aren't so different after all, huh Luke?"

"Maybe," Luke admitted, "but what we fly sure is. Those fighters of yours, they almost look the same as your war droids."

Muck nodded at the term, but figured it easily as Luke indicated a Battleoid that was being serviced nearby, "That's because they are. That beast over there is the soldier or Battleoid configuration of one of our Alpha fighters. They can shift from one mode to the other depending on the situation."

Han's jaw dropped, "What do you need a ten meter droid for in a dogfight?"

Muck laughed, "You'd be surprised. It was originally for ground combat of course, but in the hands of a halfway good pilot the transformation multiplies your maneuverability."

The Alliance pilots whistled low and Muck grinned, having their attention.

"Let me tell you about this one time …"

**********

General Rieekan looked over the report transmitted by his officers on the scene and grimaced at Princess Leia Organa, "A lost carrier from a civilization beyond the galaxy. I don't think the Empire would come up with something like this when bombarding the planet would be easier."

"Agreed," the Princess said as she finished the report. "Luke and Han seem impressed by them, and Luke did offer to let them join us. Do we endorse this offer?"

Rieekan rubbed his chin thoughtfully, "We've welcomed pirates, Imperial defectors and private citizens, why not a group of extra-galactic refugees?"

"Not refugees," Leia corrected, "This is a military force. Luke made the initial overture, but I should go up there as well as a diplomat. Figure out exactly what they want and see what we can get in exchange. We need to know what laws they follow, if trade is even allowed, or if they are unable to return then will they throw in with us?"

The base commander nodded, "Politics never were my forte. I leave this to you then. Find out what you can, and hopefully we will have a new ally at the end of the day."

**********

Commander Rebecca Hammond had made her way to the flight deck and was watching the leader of Raven squadron gesture wildly with his hands describing some combat maneuver with the Rebel pilots who were both amused and enthralled by whatever story he was telling.

Minding that she stayed out of the way of any work crews she made her way over to the group and when she approached Muck gave a lazy salute.

"Commander, how's it going? Boss make his mind up yet?"

Rebecca frowned, "The Captain has yet to make up his mind, Lieutenant. I take it you, Commander Skywalker and Captain Solo are getting along?"

The young pilot smiled, almost eagerly, "Sure, we were just comparing notes. Did you know they have shields on their fighters? I mean, on fighters? That is so cool. We have better armor, sure, but that would make a dogfight a little easier, don't ya think? We've got smart missile tech, maybe we could trade?"

"Kid's a little hyper, but he has a good idea there," Han said with a smile, "Our protons and concussion missiles don't have the turning capabilities he says yours have."

Luke added, "Your control systems must be better too, to be able to pilot a fighter that turns into a droid. We could trade some of that for our astromech technology. They can plot and store ten hyperlight jumps and help maintain and repair a ship. I'd be dead a dozen times over if not for Artoo."

The blue and silver bullet shaped robot chirped happily at the praise as Rebecca considered this.

"It's not for me to say what will happen," she said calmly. "We both have wars to fight, and ours is back in Sol, or have you forgotten Mister Murray?"

Muck shrugged, "I'm just hedging my bets Commander. It sounds like we're more then a little lost after all. Why not keep our options open if we are stuck? May as well throw in with the right people."

Rebecca frowned, "And how, Lieutenant, do you know who the right people are? No offense to you Captain, Commander, but we know nothing about you other then the fact that you are an anti- government force. Those kinds of movements almost led to planetary civil war before the First Robotech War, and afterwards."

Han bristled and shot back, "So it's ok to sit back and watch innocents be slaughtered? I may be a pirate, Lady, but I'm not that heartless. If you think…"

"Han, that's enough," Luke said as he got between the taller smuggler and the REF officer. The young pilot also saw that Muck was more alert now, his hand touching his holstered side arm, but remaining calm and neutral, only ready to act if things got out of hand.

The aspiring Jedi continued, "We know the Empire is evil, we saw the destruction of Alderaan first hand. But these people haven't seen that, and they only have our word to trust. That's why we called Leia, she's the diplomat and that's what we need here. Not fighters. Let the calm minds and clear heads work this out."

Han calmed, and Luke saw Muck's hand drop from his holster, a smile on the young pilot's face.

Commander Hammond nodded, "I apologize Captain, as I said I meant no offence. We are strangers in a strange land and must be cautious. Handing out technology to anyone that comes along is not the wisest course of action and I wished to remind Mister Murray that we are an army, not a mercenary force."

With that she turned and left the trio, moving on along the deck to speak with other crew. As she drew out of range Han's scowl deepened.

"What's up with her? It's like she didn't even think about what she was saying."

Muck sighed and leaned against the X-Wing landing strut, "Bulletproof Becky, that's what we call her, and that's what she is. If there's a heart in there it's behind a layer of ship armor and probably some of your shields too. We think she knows how to care, she just chooses not to so she can put everything she is into her career. She's one of the best officers in the fleet, but she dumped a lot to get there."

"Ignoring your emotions like that is dangerous," Luke said softly. "Ben, the Jedi Knight who taught me, said that you need to see the world around you with your feelings."

Muck nodded at that nugget of wisdom and asked, "You've mentioned these Jedi Knights before. What are they?"

"For a thousand generations the Jedi were the keepers of peace in the galaxy…"

Luke and Han told the REF pilot about the legacy of the Jedi, and this time it was Muck that was enthralled.

**********

Diplomacy is a balancing act between epiphany and madness, and none walked that line better then Princess Leia Organa. She had come up to the Victory on a rusted but usable LAAT Gunship that the Alliance was using to move teams around the outskirts of Echo Base, and now sat across from Captain Preston in his office.

Only an hour before he had spoken with Skywalker and Solo, and his impression of the young woman sitting with him was just as favorable. He had never liked mixing politics with soldiering, but Princess Leia had the rare combination of a level head, strong heart, and calm demeanor that made these talks possible.

They had exchanged histories, as well as current events for both sides. Leia was surprised that these humans from Earth had gone from basic orbital flight to interstellar travel in just forty years While John was shocked at the atrocities that the Empire had committed. Acts that made the 'Rain of Death' look like a childish tantrum.

"I am sorry for the loss of your homeworld," he said somberly.

Leia nodded, "Thank you, but I can't stop to grieve. If any of us do then the Empire could have another chance to do the same thing again. That is why we are asking you to aid us. We have few ships at the moment, and even fewer able to act as carriers. It could be very useful to our fight."

"No doubt," Preston nodded. "I've looked over the charts provided by your people, and I have to say it looks like we truly are far beyond our known space. Even with our Fold system at full power we have no where to go. My officers are of the opinion that given a choice between wandering aimlessly trying to get home and helping out a good cause, we should do the latter."

"It may be a hopeless cause. The Empire's power is almost immeasurable."

"Captains of Robotech ships have a proud history of fighting for lost causes," Preston said with a smile.

**********

Three days passed on the ice world, and productive ones at that. The Victory had been guided in and landed near Echo Base as was able to share provisions with the rag tag forces of the Alliance. Techs spent hours crawling over, under and through each other's equipment as they began a comprehensive study on how the differing technology stacked up against each other. And the two forces were slowly coming closer.

Muck and his Raven Squadron had already begun a friendly rivalry with Rogue Squadron when the last of the Rebel pilots had arrived in system, and Cyclone troopers were added to the picket lines. Their motorcycle forms were almost useless in the deep snow of Hoth, but the powered armor was a welcome addition, especially when one could carry an E-Web repeater all by itself.

The culmination of this, as far as Luke Skywalker was concerned, was this day. He sat in the Raven's briefing room, clad in a grey REF flight suit waiting for Muck to get off the comm. handset.

Placing the handset back in its cradle, Muck turned and smiled at Luke, "Ok, a Booby Duck is ready for us. It's one of the old VF-1Ds that we keep around for training. It's a two-seater, and I'll give you a little stick time with it once we're in the air."

"Excellent," Luke grinned as he picked up the Robotech helmet sitting in the seat next to him, stood, and followed Muck out to the hanger deck. A familiar cacophony greeted them as they made their way along the deck to the white and brown trimmed fighter waiting for them. It was larger then an Alpha fighter and had a less compact design, but to the pilots it had graceful lines and a profile that spoke of a hunter stalking prey.

Climbing up into the cockpit, Muck motioned for Luke to take the front as techs bustled around the plane, removing red ground flags and arming pins. Their straps were checked and Luke lowered the odd helmet onto his head as the canopy lowered.

The sensation that swept over him as the power came on was weird, to say the least. A tingle shot down his spine, and for a moment he felt a presence brush up against his mind. Even with his minimal training in the Force he felt a connection had somehow just been made.

"What was that?" he asked.

Muck blinked and looked up from his checklist, "The flight computer just started up. If you felt a tingle, it's because of the fighter's…unique control system. I'll give you a full rundown once we're in the air. For now, let's get rolling."

Muck signaled outside, and a small cart locked up with their nose wheel, pushing them back onto the repaired deck elevator. Once topside they were pulled off and in to line up with the runway atop the grounded Victory. The tractor pulled away, and another group of techs, this time sealed in CVR-3 armor against the cold, moved up to make sure they were set for launch.

"Keep you hands off the controls," Muck reminded his friend, "You've never done a catapult shot, and the natural reaction is to try and take control. If you don't know what you're doing that will crash us in a heartbeat. You've got it nice and easy with you repulsorlifts, now you see how we play." Clicking on the radio he continued, "Mustang, this is Trainer One, ready for launch. V.I.P. patrol and demonstrator flight over the south ridge."

"_Rodger that, Trainer One. Enjoy your flight, Commander Skywalker."_

Luke couldn't even acknowledge as the techs cleared out save for one. The remaining tech saluted, dropped to one knee and pointed forward. In under a second the forty year old Veritech fighter jumped from a standstill to one hundred and twenty knots pulling him hard into his seat and stopping his breathing.

There was a blur of blue and white outside, and when he was able to breathe again Luke saw that they were 5000 meters in the air and moving at just below the speed of sound.

"By the Force," he gasped, "that's how you take off all the time?"

Muck laughed, "Not all the time. It's just the best way to get up to a tactical speed in a hurry. The Alphas and Betas don't even use the cat much anymore; they have enough power to do it on their own."

Muck pulled back on the control stick and they rapidly climbed. After a few moments they were above Hoth's abundant clouds and flying smoothly.

"Ok," Muck said," at this height we can recover from almost anything. Remember that the wings are giving you lift now, not repulsorlifts. Keep your speed up and try not to do anything too crazy just yet. Front seat has control."

Luke took hold of the throttle handle and flight stick and replied, "I've got control." He started with small movements, just to see how the craft would handle. The fighter was easily as responsive as an X-Wing. Without the gravity compensators he was used to he could feel every maneuver, and that tingle at the back of his neck had not gone away yet. It was almost as if he could feel the wind under his arms somehow.

"Nice," he whispered.

Muck smiled, "Ready to cut it loose?"

Luke nodded once and pushed the throttle all the way to the stops, kicking the fighter into a spin and diving. He pulled up sharply, imagining a TIE fighter in front of him and dogging its tail. Several high power combat maneuvers later he suddenly found himself losing the bite of wind under his wings as a red light appeared on the MFD in front of him.

"Engine stall," Muck called from behind him without a hint of panic.

Luke however was close to it as the plane simply fell out of the sky.

Muck continued even a g-forces buffeted them, "Pop the throttle back and try and nose down. Get some air under your wings and pull up."

The young Jedi forced the nose of the plane down, and their drop increased. There was no lift, almost no power, and nothing he could do.

"Muck, take over!"

The Robotech pilot laughed, "Nope, you got us into this, you get us out. Passing seven thousand meters, heading for splat."

Luke struggled with the controls for a few moments more, and Muck called out again, "Try pulling the slider marked 'B'. It'll give you a few more options."

Luke did so, and instantly the Force sang in his head as the plane seemed to start breaking up around him. Engine nacelles dropped away and swung forward, the undercarriage split and spread out, the tail folded up and the entire aft end of the fighter collapsed behind the cockpit as his seat flipped back and an armored shield dropped over the canopy. Screens came to life around him and he could suddenly feel legs, arms, and the wind rushing past a head.

"Now would be a good time," Muck said with a hint of worry in his voice as the altimeter passed two thousand meters.

Luke opened up the throttle again and tightened the muscles in his legs. The humanoid robot that the fighter had changed into rolled itself so it's boots were pointing at the ground below and twin columns of flame shot from them, slowing the descent. The Battleoid spread its arms out, increasing drag, and soon it stood still in mid air atop bright fusion fire.

Slowly the young Jedi throttled beck, lowering the Battleoid down until he finally landed on the icy surface. He took two steps with the giant warrior robot to use up the last of the momentum and then stood tall, head turret swinging upwards to see the sky he had fallen from.

"That was incredible," Luke said.

From above him in the reconfigured fighter Muck's voice answered, "Not bad. You have to remember that this is a real aircraft designed primarily to work in atmosphere. But otherwise not bad for a first flight. Now pull the control marked 'G' and we can start heading back to base."

The Veritech unfolded into its hybrid configuration and the Robotech pilot continued, "Think of this mode like one of your speeders. You can skim the surface at high speed, but you still have a wide arc of fire thanks to the arms. Now, I've set the computer for our return route. Take us home, Commander."

They left in a swirling cloud of loose snow kicked up by the thrusters, and as they skated along at several hundred kilometers per hour Luke Skywalker, Rebel Commander and aspiring Jedi Knight had only one thought.

Some Imperial TIE Fighter pilot was going to have a coronary in the next battle between the Alliance and the Empire.

To be continued…

Endnotes: Ok, people seemed to like this, and forgive me for any errors for the most part. I'll make no apologies for technical inconsistencies with either Star Wars or Robotech, I'm using what reference I have available to me and have already pictured relative sizes and the like for battle use in my outline. I thank those who did point out technical errors, but ask that you think of this as a story about people, not ships. The ships just add to the cool. Next time, the Empire Strikes Back begins. Until then…I got nothing again…go read 'Dragon Lady of Macross' or something. It's a good story.


	3. Ice and Fire

The Lost Stars

By Tirsis

Chapter 3

Ice and Fire

Robotech is the property of Harmony Gold

Star Wars is the property of Lucasfilm Ltd.

I own neither, god I wish I did.

O=O=O=O=O

Luke awoke slowly, and as he did he registered pain, but not as much as he had feared. Whatever had hit him was lessened by the CVR-3 body armor he wore. It had been given to all the long range patrol riders, and was a great deal better then the bundles of cold weather gear they had been using before.

He had been scouting out a meteor strike when something had jumped him. His mount, a native taun-taun, had fallen quickly and a second swipe by a large creature had knocked him out.

The CVR-3 was good armor, better then what Storm Troopers wore even, but the massive blunt force trauma of the hit was enough to send the young Jedi into dreamland for who knew how long.

Looking around and getting his bearings and finding himself upside down, Luke saw that the creature, a massive wampa, was feasting on the remains of his mount. The young man from Tatooine knew that he would be next.

Taking in more of his location he saw that his lightsaber, probably dropped from his belt while being hung for later, was on the ground below him. Just out of reach.

It was time to work on getting out of here.

O=O=O=O=O

"Commander Skywalker has not checked in at the south entrance either," the tech reported to an irate Han Solo.

Muck stood behind him, already suited up in CVR-3 and said, "It's a nice balmy negative thirty out there, and it's getting worse. And your speeders aren't up yet."

"Then we go out on taun-tauns," Han growled as he headed for the locker rooms to get his own armor.

Muck followed, "Hold up, buddy. The storm is getting worse, and it's going to be a bitch and a half after the sun sets. Give me an hour and I can have our Beta fighters ready for a little search and rescue work."

"What good are fighters going to be in this storm?"

Muck looked at him with a smirk, "Fighters that walk; remember? The Beta's are burly enough that this squall won't knock them around much and each has a bay we can convert for S.A.R. work. I can even have one of the medics ride rumble seat."

Han cursed his impatience quietly and looked over at his friend, "Half an hour, and then I'm just going out with or without you. That kid survived the Death Star; I'm not going to let a little snow do him in."

"Amen, brother," Muck said and ran off for the snow covered boarding tube they had dragged from the Victory to Echo base.

It took twenty minutes and only four Betas were rigged, but now Han stood before the small group of pilots and medics ready to go out searching for his friend. Muck had pulled the Beta pilots from his squadron into this, and they knew that their leader was acting as a point man for the liaison team with the Rebel Alliance. Skywalker was a known quantity with them, almost one of them.

"Alright," Muck started, "each of us will take a sector along Luke's patrol path. It'll be a wide range, but we don't have much of a choice. Han and I will take grid Delta Six." He turned to a tall black man with a chef's hat painted on his shoulder armor, "Slug, you take Delta Eight." Next he turned to a younger man with neatly trimmed blond hair, "Blinky, you get Delta Seven." Finally he spoke to a beautiful young woman with boxing gloves stenciled on her armor's shoulder, "Knockout, Delta Five is yours. Time is life here people. Good hunting."

Han followed Muck up to one of the large Veritech bombers and climbed into the converted bomb bay along side a medi-tech who was checking over his kit.

Muck called back into the bay as he strapped in, "Once we get into position it's going to be slow going, you know that right?

Han grunted, "As long as we can find Luke before anything happens."

"We're using the best life sign detectors on base," the medic reassured him, "we'll find him."

O=O=O=O=O

The armor kept out most of the cold. That was the only good thing Luke could think of at the moment.

He knew he was hurt, bad. He was forced to open his helmet earlier so that he could wipe his face, and his gloved hand had come back stained red. Add in that he was fighting against drowsiness and he guessed that he had a concussion. It also hurt to breathe, which he needed to do in great quantity to keep moving across the tundra, so he figured that he had at least a broken rib.

Only his fledgling connection to the Force and his pure determination had kept him from falling where he stood.

"_Luke."_

It started as a whisper as he trudged on, but the voice became insistent.

"_Luke."_

He considered that the concussion was worse then he thought, but was shaken as a blue haze started to form along side him, slowly taking humanoid shape.

And soon a translucent blue Ben Kenobi was walking though the snow along side him.

"_Things are changing, Luke. I think it is time for you to continue your training."_

Luke blinked, "Ben? But how? I can almost feel you here." The old Jedi chuckled and Luke suddenly understood, "The Force. When Vader killed you, you just vanished…"

"_I knew I couldn't win. Vader had only grown stronger over the years and I had let my skills lay idle. So I gave myself up to the Force, completely. It was a skill I learned from an old teacher of mine. And it is he that you must seek out now."_

Luke stumbled, whether it was from speaking with his former mentor, or the bad footing, or his slowly fading awareness, he didn't know. But he used his flagging reserves to continue.

"Who?"

"_You must go to the Dagobah, there you will find Yoda, who once trained me. He will prepare you for what is to come in this time of change…"_

And with that Luke was once more alone.

He stumbled and fell to the ground, his reserves drained and his concentration failing. Pain swept over him, and for a moment he thought he drifted off, but the ground shaking beneath him stirred him back awake. For a moment the young Rebel thought that the wampa had followed him into the storm, but the black shape coming through the snow was even larger.

As it came into focus he saw the triple kite symbol of the REF that was painted on the Beta fighter's leg.

O=O=O=O=O

The medic had finished checking over Luke as Han and Muck watched, trying not to hover over the tech in the small cargo bay of the Beta. Luke was stable for the moment, and that was all that mattered to them.

"Five more minutes and we would have had to head back," whispered the Veritech pilot numbly.

Han shook his head, "I would have knocked you out and kept going, even if I had to get out and push this lump. Any chance of flying back to base?"

Muck scowled, "Winds are too high. As it is we have to go slow, it's gonna take hours to get back. Plus the storm is blocking the comm. signal so I can't call in the others till it breaks up out there."

"Can we still make it back to base?" the medic asked simply as he continued to monitor the bio-scanner in his hand. "I'd like to get him some real treatment fast. He may even need a bacta treatment."

Muck nodded and clambered back into the pilot's seat and started the large robot moving again.

O=O=O=O=O

Leia watched the monitors in the command center as Han and Chewie took out the probe droid. She didn't want to admit it but the brash smuggler was growing on her.

_Like a fungus_, she thought to herself.

One minute he was self centered, the next he was volunteering for hazardous duty. He was constantly contradicting himself like that and it was infuriating to her. Was it too much to ask for a little consistency out of people?

"_It's a fair bet that the Empire knows we're here,"_ the former pirate's voice came over the comm. and the command staff was forced to agree.

General Rieekan ordered, "Prepare for evacuation."

Commander Hammond was already talking into her REF comm., ordering a detachment of Cyclone Riders into the base to help move heavy equipment and contacting the scout fighters that were sitting in orbit, watching of activity.

She then turned to Leia, "How long do you think the Empire will take to respond to that signal?"

"Days, hours, hard to say. If the fleet is as spread out as we've heard then if they did get here in a matter of hours it would only be a token force. Only a few Star Destroyers if we're lucky. We should be able to slip away with the plan we have in place."

The Robotech officer nodded, "The Victory adds a great deal of lifting capacity with all the cargo space we have. We can also give a great deal of cover fire for those shell transports of yours."

The Rebel Princess smiled in return, "We would have had to leave so much behind otherwise. But are you sure that your ship can handle a firefight with an Imperial heavy cruiser?"

"An old Zentradi Destroyer was at least twice as big as the ISD specs, and had even more firepower. We won't get into a slugging match, but we can put up one hell of a fight."

O=O=O=O=O

Less then a day later the Empire arrived, and in force.

The Executor, the massive Super class Star Destroyer under the command of Darth Vader himself led a small flotilla of six other Destroyers that encircled the ice world, ready to blockade the Rebel's escape.

Soon after settling into orbit massive drop ships began to descend into the atmosphere, and after landing disgorged the Empires most terrifying land weapon. The All-Terrain Armored Transport, or AT-AT Walker.

Muck saw the Walkers via the screen in the Victory's squadron briefing room. The feed came from a Cyclone Rider posted with one of the teams manning the perimeter of the base, and the pilot was unimpressed.

"Looks like an anorexic camel wearing tin foil covered plywood."

The rest of the Robotech pilots laughed at the quip, but Paul "Eye-Full" Towers scowled as he leaned over the podium in front of his two squadrons.

The six foot five man focused on this fellow squadron leader, "These beasts may look silly, but each mounts cap-ship grade cannons on its butt ugly snout. Keep that in mind if you feel like pointing out their fugly looks to their faces." He let the pilots laugh for a second then continued. "Talons are going high to help clear a path for the mules to bug out. That beast of an Ion Cannon they have here will give us an opening, and then we go in hot and heavy. Iron Hand runs to take out as many turrets as we can and widen the gap some. Ravens get the joy of tweaking the camel's noses as it were. You run delaying actions and close air support along side your buddies in Rogue."

One of the grey armored Talon pilots called out in a sing-song voice, "Muck-puppy and the kids still need their wet nurses after all."

There was general laughter, and the leader of the Ravens responded in kind by lifting one black armored arm up and giving the other pilots a one fingered salute, which only caused more laughter in the room.

Towers let it die out and then continued in a somber voice, "We have surprise on our side today, but don't get cocky out there. Fly fast and tight. Keep each other covered. Come back alive. Those are my most important instructions to you. Now grab some sky, and let's shake the heavens!"

O=O=O=O=O

In orbit the captain of one of the Imperial Star Destroyers gazed out of the large view port at the ice world below, confident in the superiority of the Empire over this rabble that opposed their rule.

His second in command quietly approached and said softly, "Sir, we have a ship rising from the surface. It is a cruiser class, but in an unknown configuration. It broke atmosphere two minutes ago and started launching fighter craft, also of unknown configuration."

"A defensive screen," the Captain commented, "a surprisingly good strategy. Deploy out fighters to meet them. How long until we are in range?"

"Twelve minutes sir. All batteries are…"

A voice broke in from the crew pit beneath them, "Sir! Incoming missiles from the cruiser! They're the size of fighters!"

"Defensive barrage, all cannons!"

O=O=O=O=O

Talon 8 watched as the Anti-warship missiles from the Victory plowed into the wedge shaped titan before him. Reflex warheads detonated against shields, but each missile could vaporize a fighter and the damage they did was significant. The follow up salvo tore down the rest of the shields.

The word came from the CAG, _"All right Talons, let's get up close and personal. Element Three, start your run. Element One, with me and cover them. Element Two, take the screen and watch for those fighters."_

Talon 8 was part of Element Two and began sweeping the black for any sign of the 'eyeballs' and 'squints' as the rebel pilots called the TIE Fighters and Interceptors. He envied the X-Wing jocks for their astromechs, the little droid added a pair of eyes, or an optic sensor as it were, and would make his job easier.

Never the less, "Tally ho. I've got six eyeballs coming in at five mark two eighty."

"_Copy that, Eight. Talons, engage."_

Talon 8 pulled his Alpha Fighter around and formed up with his teammates. The four Veritechs ate up the distance rapidly and soon a low growl was heard in his helmet earpiece.

"Good tone. Talon 8, fox two."

A pack of four smaller, anti-fighter missiles blasted away from his undercarriage alongside the missiles fired from his wingman. A total of sixteen missiles from his flight burned through space towards the oncoming TIEs. The Imperial fighters started evading, showing the TIE's ability to maneuver in a vacuum.

The Robotech based missiles had a much sharper turning radius however, and tracking software to match their agility.

Six spherical explosions of detonating warhead and fighter fuel lit the pitch black sky and four Alpha Fighters sped on in search of more prey.

O=O=O=O=O

Talon Leader, Paul Towers, pushed the throttle of his Alpha to the stops. The Beta on his wing followed him closely as he led the charge towards the Star Destroyer without hesitation. He didn't hold back because he knew what was coming.

An electric blue lance of light shot up from Hoth's surface, striking the great wedge. Discharges flared across the pale metal as electrical systems shorted out in rapid succession all due to Ion Cannon fire.

Paul rolled his fighter in and lined up his gun sights on one of the ships many turrets and firing a dozen missiles as soon as they locked. The Beta beside him broke off and leveled out, it's bomb bay opening and releasing a kludge of a weapon that had been cobbled together just for this.

Six proton torpedo warheads wrapped around a single Reflex warhead and set with a time released impact trigger. A space bomb, one that used the reflex reaction as an accelerant. The device had been kicked out of the Beta by a standard release charge on a course for the hull near the neck of the great ship.

Without shields, disabled by Ion blasts and with Alpha Fighters knocking out the few active turrets the bomb gracefully glided in and hit amidships. The detonation took out a circle of armor ten meters in diameter and ripped away two decks beneath it, including the primary sensor control room.

Blinding the cruiser was the first step, and as Towers started towards the surface of the behemoth he signaled over the comm.

"Base, this is Talon Leader. The party has started and the music is loud. Send the guests on through." With that he used his thumb to toggle a switch on the throttle and his Alpha shifted around him. Folding in on itself the fighter transformed into its humanoid soldier configuration and landed hard on the surface of the Imperial ship, followed by three other Alphas in Battleoid configuration.

They moved swiftly then, running across the surface of the ship, gunpods up and at the ready. The boxy turbolaser turrets could not lower their firing angle enough to hit them as they ran, but the turrets were easy pickings for the robotic knights.

55mm slugs tore into the delicate structure of the turret's gun barrels and in a matter of minutes half of the topside turrets were put out of commission.

Towers watched as the first of the Rebel transports sailed by, unmolested by either the great warship, or its fighters. And as it moved past and streaked into hyperspace he happily called out over the comm.

"Talon Leader here. The first transport is away. I say again, the first transport is away."

O=O=O=O=O

The call raised a chorus of cheers for the harried workers inside Echo Base and Luke joined them, pumping his arm in the air as he ran into the hanger. He jogged past the line of Alpha Fighters getting ready to roll out to confront the Empire's ground forces and waved to Muck who was making final checks on his mecha. The Robotech pilot waved back and settled into the blue trimmed, black fighter and powered up the craft's turbines.

Luke smiled as the low growl became a high pitched whine and continued on to his own squadron. The Rogues were getting ready in the small attack speeders that had been adapted to the cold of Hoth. The craft had nowhere near the firepower of an Alpha or an X-Wing, but their maneuverability was uncanny. And that was what was needed in a ground support mission.

"Feeling better, Sir," asked Dack as Luke dropped into the front seat of his speeder.

Luke smiled, "Like new, Dack. How about you?"

"Like I could take on the Empire by myself."

The young Jedi nodded and watched as the Ravens lined up and blasted out of Echo Base at full throttle, shifting to Guardian mode and skimming away, gunpods gleaming in the sun.

"I know the feeling," Luke said as the Veritechs sped out of sight. Soon the Rogues were set and the speeders blasted out of the base, hot on the heels of their Robotech counterparts.

The sight that greeted them on the battlefield however was one of horror. The Imperials had already started moving and the AT-AT Walkers shook the ground. The infantry protecting the perimeter was totally outclassed, and even with support from fixed artillery and the dozen Cyclone Riders that covered them it was all but a rout.

Then the Ravens and the Rogues passed overhead and Luke could almost feel the relief rising from the battered ground troops as they started falling back.

Ahead of him, Muck drew his team together as he evaluated the lumbering Walkers.

"All right Ravens. Johnny Reb down there is taking a pounding. Let's hit hard and fast on the front line. Break by pairs and stay mobile, hit the big'uns with missile spreads and the little bipeds with CQB strikes. We have a time limit here so let's hit hard and fast. Knockout, with me. Ravens…ATTACK!"

The Guardian mode fighters roared in, Muck in the lead as he dropped down while avoiding cannon fire and landed right next to one of the AT-ST Scout Walkers. The chicken legged, boxy Walker turned to face him, but he had already shifted to Battleoid and one of his armored, robotic fits came in low in an uppercut. The punch from the mecha crushed the Walkers chin mounted blasters and knocked it off balance, tumbling it to the ground.

Knockout's black and red mecha was beside him quickly, landing three short jabs and a haymaker to another AT-ST. The armor on the Imperial war machine buckled, and the powerful ending punch took the abused cockpit clear off its light hips and legs. The two Battleoids then turned as one to face an oncoming AT-AT and opened their shoulder armor, letting fly with four small swarms of missiles that impacted the giant metal beast with a staccato of explosions.

When the smoke cleared the Walker had obviously taken abuse, but it was still marching onward and the duo had to dive out of the way of glaring red cannon fire.

"Ok," Muck grunted, "that didn't work like I thought. Ravens, roll in the heavies. Punch them hard, and then we go hand to hand."

He received a chorus of acknowledgements and shifted back to fighter mode, jetting away with his wingmate right on his tail as the Beta fighters started their attack. The flying brick-like fighters swooped in, each firing two heavy missiles and banking away. These longer range projectiles were four times the size of the ordinance carried by the Alpha fighter and packed a much bigger punch.

Two AT-ATs were hit by four missiles each, detonating against their broadsides. The anti-armor warheads did their job, puncturing the outer armor belt and letting another explosive charge detonate inside the great war machines. With two 'whoomp' sounds that echoed across the battlefield as the Walkers died, panels blown out and parts flung to the four winds.

The Ravens did not stop to celebrate. They still had a job to do.

Alpha's moved quickly, skating along the snow and ice. Beta's struck hard, hitting and fading. Speeders danced among the mechanical legs, covering ground troops and using lightning strikes.

But still, white snow would run red as the massive force of the Imperial Army started Hoth burring.

To be continued…

Endnote: Not much to say here, save that I am sorry for the wait, as usual. See my Author Page for the reasons. Next time sees the second half of the Battle of Hoth as well as the reaction of a Dark Lord to these new players in the war between the Light and the Dark. Until then, kick the tires and light the fires.


End file.
